Re: [IP] Hair Health and vitamins

I have very long (33" which is over half my height of 62" -
it is down to my "upper/mid hiney" area LOL), thick, fairly
soft and shiny hair BUT it wasn't always like that. I had
very dry, brittle, dull at times, coarse hair up until my
late teens/early 20's. I always wanted really long hair but
it would NEVER grow past the tops of my shoulders. I think
in *my* case it was due to nutritional deficiencies (I used
to be a picky eater and didn't eat much - or well). When I
began having children and started eating better and taking a
mulitvitamin, the quality (and quantity LOL) of my hair
changed, obviously for the better. I've never taken any
supplements specifically to help my hair so I don't have any
specific recommendations right off-hand. It is interesting
though, that someone here mentioned flax seed because I have
taken flax seed oil capsules as well as evening primrose oil
capsules (not at the same time) in the past. Both contain
essential fatty acids that we all need for heart health, etc
so a supplement of these certainly couldn't hurt. I have at
times used peanut oil to deep condition my hair (rather than
olive oil, but without egg as someone else described) and
wrapped my hair in saran wrap for ~20mins (then washed it
out very well, with shampoo and very warm water). Oh - I
have to mention that my fingernails used to be *awful* as
well. Every fingernail had several white spots (leukonychia)
on them and were weak and brittle, etc. Those have gone away
as well and my nails are very thick and strong now (too
strong!)
Keep in mind that vitamin and herbal supplements will only
benefit if a nutritional deficiency is the cause of the
problem in the first place. There are some conditions (such
as thyroid) that affect the hair so if that is the case
rather than nutritional deficiency, it won't get better
until the underlying problem is treated first. Certain meds
can cause you to lose other nutrients so taking a
multivitamin may help there (especially if you don't
typically eat a well-balanced diet to begin with.) If the
hair problems are due to things like the sun, chlorine, etc
then surface protective substances may help (spray on/leave
in conditioners, special shampoos for swimming, etc.)
Hope this helps!
--
Take care, Kerri, mom of Shannon-11, dxT1 5.3yrs, pumping
2.3yrs, and 7 other blessings
http://www.geocities.com/southard8/photos.html
~*~do-`da-ga-g`hv-i (until we meet again)~*~
----------------------------------------------------------
for HELP or to subscribe/unsubscribe, contact: HELP@insulin-pumpers.org
send a DONATION http://www.Insulin-Pumpers.org/donate.shtml